The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-03-03
"TIE SINS OF THE SENATE"
captain II. Il. TilIman's Reply to the
Letter of Senator l.. w your,,u.

Captain Is. II. Tillman has written tc
the News and Courier Il reply to the rc
cent letter OF Senator Youmans, of Barn
well. After expressing his dislike TO,
any 1urthcr newspaper controversy owe,
the questions growing out of the ssfarm.
crs movement and some allusion tc
ms own letter reviewing the action OF
the Legislature at the late session
Captain Tillman says:
The animus of my letter was not
against the agricultural Solons," fo,
"hom only felt pity and contcmpt
p''t against the eleven lawyers who knew
hotil'h8 about the merits of the matter
ana VINO ShouId have deferred to the
OP'hloDh and wishes of the farmers ont.
3I'' Oh the Senate, who had met twice
| Ill cohErAll"u and asked certain thinos
'Htncf IMAM to the partiHans and tools
"lthln 1t. am willing to concedc hon.
c"IN Oh purpose to some Of these farmers
III I'll" SENATE but it must be at the ex-
pens" OF their intelligence and indie
p"narnce, to say nothing Of their fcaltv
L" thrlr brother farmers
Cilrrk Is favorable word with
CoI"nrt l"UmamS, and ha gives me
crcd't i"r having my share thereof, but
d"l! my mat to him rs having even
more than |. Colonel Nuumans has read
| AL my articles, for his letter foirl>,
nfiStlr% with quotations from tllcm, and
1or hH t" claim That my "chargr> of
| cNtHN"S ace and incompctcncv" against
! the |"ard OF agriculture and commits
"toh'r were ''rccklcSS and fnllacious -
altcr fhs' published and admitted facts.
requires ''braNS enough to glld a church.
Stetplc. The commissioners "good
hquor must have added his brain, or
else his tpndylng regard for the present
'clHciont, Patriotic and Trustworthy
board OF agriculture' has blinded him
even to admitted facts. / cannot re.
cap'tuiatc the ciurHcs | have made and
proved, but your readers remember
them, ana cun only explain Colonel
loumails making TIN, assertion bv the
lAct ;bnt warm personal relations with
the board of commissioners and love for
political allies have kept him from
weighing the evidence and giving i'm
hCDrSt verdict.
But there is nothing but "chcek, :"
braHcn and uublushiug, in his further
assertion that | am "svlfconfcsscdly Il
miserable failure in the management Of
my own farm, OF that | am a "disciDlc
OF Henry George and compocr of W. T..
RlSScll." | have never made any such
confession, and have only said | did not
1ccl competent to teach others, and that
"Hutcr seventeen years hard study | did
not know how to farm.' 1t Was Il reali-
ZatIOn OF my own errors and iIu errors
OF those around me III mann4ing ou
hlly lands that first led me to :.lyocutc
Il special training for farmers ia an agri
cultural college, and / am more thar
ever convinced OF the necessity and de,
tcrnnncd to urge and advocate the cstab
I.ahmcnt II h,clI Il school III South Caro-.
lna. Tho Aiken Recorder is The au.
thorlty, perhaps, for this ialschOod but
whether ] have been successful ut farm
ing or not has no connection lcgitimatcly
with the measures | have advocated, and
1t comes with poor grace from Il store
keeper who dlIbS himself ''plaut,.r," and
IS ashamed TO be called farmer, to warp
my honest admission OF Ignorance into Il
"cOuIcsalUn OF failure"
The making Of money out OF land is
not my definition OF Il good farmer but
the preservation Of fertility while OBJ
tanning an income from it. Judged by
this standard | am Il failure us a farmer.
and WclI-pigh the entire AGRICULTURAL
population Of the State are failures.
BarnWCll'S Senator, who has waxed fat
Oil his store by selling goods to his poor
farmer ncIGhbOlS and their hands, and
IcclS that he is grand SUCCESS, may
justly say he has no sympathy with "a
poor iarmCr.' 1T rUmnins to be seen
how much sympathy they will have for
INN when he seeks their suilragcs again
Ihc farmers Of Harnwcll may he bet
ter off thau the rest OF us-thcv may be
"doGs' enough to lick the hand that
SmltcS them, they have never given any
sign that they knew there was II FARM
crS movement" III South Cnrolina-but
II Colonel GOum0nS will accept the chal-
hn8c ! made him last December to dis
cusS the question of agricultural educa-
ton and administration and the reforms
needed IN our State Government with
me before an audience OF BarnWcll farm
"rS, II J Uuu, { start IL ''Earmcra' move
mont there | will ''shut up.
ms may sound CgOtiSticul, lut have
that knowledge Of my own honesty and
that inlth III the Justice OF our cause to
lcei that, prcJudlccd against me though
thCI may be, and ap tlhCtc us | know
tlrm to be, many OF them will 'lall in
when they hear the truth. want it dis
tlnctIy understood that | make this pro-
posnl III good faith, but that / cannot
redeem the pledge till next summer or
fall.
But to return to Colonel Youmans and
his "chcck.' What reason has nc for
calling me II 'djsciplc Of Henry George
and compccr Of ". =. Itusscll"? | have
never read any OF Georges books, nor
have ! preached amy OF his doctlincs,
least Of all community OF ownership in
Hand. have too much land, uotwith-
standing my "miscruble failure as II
farmer, and want to sell some, but
have no purpose Of putting it into IL
common pile for every body to enjoy its
usuiruct, nor do ] desire to divide it
with amy one but my children.
have called things by their names
and not minced matters, and shall con.
tinuc to do 50. The dissatisfaction of
the people with the way our public
affairs arc managed was no creation of
mine, bat only showed itself openly
after began 10 write, a!ii If my .'rab-
bling about our poverty and its remedy
makes me disciple Of Henry George,